SCH taking steps to check spread of coronavirus

The Supreme Council of Health has vowed to keep open the communication and co-ordination channels between the council and the World Health Organisation for updates 
and follow up about the deadly coronavirus.
This follows the discovery and
confi rmation by laboratory results, on November 21, of a second case of coronavirus infection in a Qatari.
The SCH Health Protection and Communicable Disease manager Dr Mohamed al-Hajri said that the council has held a meeting on the second case of the virus infection in Qatar with all stakeholders at the council
and at the Hamad Medical Corporation.
He said all related issues had been tackled and that authorities concerned would conduct clinical and laboratory surveillance, as well as field visits and epidemiological investigation 
for all probable healthcare associated transmission cases in both government and private health sectors, in addition to communicating with relevant entities to contribute to the process.

Dr al-Hajri ai  rmed that SCH was committed to following up all aspects related to the disease
besides conducting investigation and to minimise the spread of the virus in collaboration with
all world-class organisations and experts.
He said that the SCH and HMC have intensified surveillance for such cases and have examined the suspected samples and sent them to international specialised centres adding that 
the SCH has recently invited a delegation of experts to discuss and provide assistance in  investigation procedures'
The official indicated that direct communication with both governmental and private
health sectors has been established to stress on the necessity of instant reporting of any
probable case, along with following the special protocol in such cases. Dr al-Hajri mentioned that HMC was working on beginning to conduct the tests for the
Coronavirus as soon as possible apart from training its laboratory staff  on how to carry out
such tests.
Presently, Qatar sends samples for coronavirus to a specialused laboratory in the U.K.